The Wake of Dreaming
by Kayka-chan
Summary: "Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love" --Erich Fromm. A fic full of NejiXHinata drabbles. All of them very much Hyuugacest.
1. Adultery

**Greetings and Salutations!**

**This is my first NejiXHinata thing, and just for a warning; If you don't like this as a romantic pair, then this fic is not for you. Please don't leave me angsty and mean reviews just because you feel like it. What's that thing your mother always used to tell you? 'If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all.' She's wise; listen to the woman.**

**Anyhoo...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Adultery_

~-X-~

_The angry lover tells himself many a lie._

—_Publilius Syrus_

~-X-~

Neji marveled at the way the light filtering through the holes in the ceiling refracted off of the dust particles in the air. It shone oddly against the wall and gave the room a sort of candle-esc glow.

The wind made a whistling sound as it blew in through the holes and he smiled to himself as Hinata snuggled closer to his body heat. He pulled up his coat that was shielding their naked bodies from the cold of the morning and tucked his arm around her waist.

He turned his face into her hair and inhaled, closing his eyes to let the feelings of her linger. She would have to leave shortly. Her husband was coming home today and she had to be ready to receive him.

"I should go…" She suddenly whispered, as if she read his mind. He opened his eyes and made a sound of concurrence deep in his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair. In contradiction to her statement, she pushed herself closer to him so that not one inch of her body was empty of his touch and she entangled her legs with his.

They lay in the quiet for heaven knows how long, just savoring one of their few stolen moments together where they didn't have to pretend that they didn't care, that they didn't _love_…

"He's getting suspicious." Hinata stated quietly, her nails lightly tracing patterns over his chest. Neji made a curious grunting sound and she continued; "Jiro. He's starting to think about where I go. He's going to find out what we're doing and he won't take kindly to being scorned." Neji licked his dry lips.

"Are you suggesting that we discontinue this?" He asked, half dreading the answer. Hinata made a pained noise and rubbed her head against his shoulder like a cat.

"You _know_ that we should—_I_ know that we should—but I don't think that I could..." she trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence. Neji knew how she felt, but remained silent. He didn't want to confuse her more by telling her that he also wanted her to stay with him. He knew that she already felt guilty enough about the situation as it was.

He didn't, though. He felt not one iota of guilt. She belonged to him, and she always had. No legally binding piece of paper saying that she was taken was going to keep him from her, and vice versa. The only restraint on him was Hinata's bizarre sense of duty toward her father.

Hinata made a pained noise in his arms and he loosed the grip he didn't even know he had been tightening. She muttered her thanks and kissed the bottom of his chin. There was a light tap on the door and Neji released Hinata just as quickly as she rolled away and began to pull on clothing. He followed her hurried suit and began to pull on his own clothing.

"Hinata-sama, Jiro-sama has just entered the village." Neji watched Hinata relax a bit when she recognized the voice of her maid, but continued to pull on her clothes. She pulled her hair out of her shirt and righted her shoes.

"Thank you, Lin." Hinata answered. Neji finished tying his hair back and they stood there looking at each other sadly. She sniffled a bit and rubbed at her eyes. Neji reached forward and grasped onto her upper arm tightly, trying to reassure her. "Is it horrible that I despise my husband this much?" She asked him, quietly. Neji didn't answer and Hinata didn't wait for one. She squeezed her arms around his waist on last time before departing quickly.

Neji remained unmoved; glaring at the wall. Behind him, there was a not-so-dainty clearing of the throat. He turned his head and glared at Lin over his shoulder. She glared right back.

"He's going to figure it out, and, when he does, I hope you get the most of the trouble." She hissed at him. He glared, but it seemed tired now. Lin stepped back in confusion as he walked forward and stepped past her, stopping when he was level with her.

"I hope I do, too." He said grimly, and kept walking, not looking back.

Ten months and sixty trysts later, he did.

He found out because Hinata gave birth to a healthy little boy, and while there was nothing wrong with this, the time of conception coincided with his month-long business trip. He had been furious, demanding to know how the father was. Hinata had refused to tell him and when Neji came back from his mission, it was just in time for Hinata's appearance before the elders and her father.

Lin had been the one to tell him what was wrong—because he could tell that something was indeed, very, _very_ wrong ,and had worried for a few heart stopping moments that his child, Hinata, or both had died in birth—and none too quietly, at that. She yelled at him tearfully that it was all his fault, how Hinata wasn't going to let him get in trouble, and that he was too late. She also called him a few exceedingly unsavory names that had people stopping to stare at them.

Once he had calmed her down long enough to get the details, namely where they were meeting, he had run off in such a hurry, one would have thought he was being chased by a large and rabid animal. He had literally exploded into the room and demanded to know what was going on. The sight that greeted him was one of mixed feelings.

Hinata was knelt formally on the floor, still in her birthing clothes, with tears of shame and regret running down her face. Her father was in the act of pacing around while her fornicated husband looked so angry that his eyes were fairly popping out of his face.

The elders were all giving her disgusted looks and, judging by the red marks on her face, some of them had struck her. They had all turned in his direction when he had entered, surprise the only expression left.

There was a small squall of a child in distress and Neji jumped in surprise, his eyes finding the small person that Hinata clung to desperately; shielding from any glares or, possibly, attacks. He was small and wrinkly and red with his face all screwed up angrily and tears and snot running down his face.

He kicked and writhed and mewled. Dark curls rested on top of his head in wisps, black like his mothers or brown like his fathers, it was impossible to tell, and, when he stopped crying for a breath and looked over at Neji, he saw white eyes. He was tiny and chubby and annoying but Neji couldn't help but think that he was the most beautiful thing that he had seen aside from Hinata.

"Well," One of the elders said, causing Neji to realize that he had been openly staring at his son with an expression to mirror his feelings. He quickly righted himself, but it was too late. He could tell by the smug smiles on the elders' faces. "We seem to have found the father."

He flinched at Hiashi-sama's reaction. He looked surprised, then disappointed and, for some reason, that was much worse than anything else that could have happened. Neji would have much rather that he became so angry that he attacked him.

Jiro, of course, had become even more infuriated when face-to-face with his wife's collaborator and began to call for his expulsion from the village. He promptly shut his face when all of the Hyuuga's eyes; save for Hinata and the little one's, turned on him with mirrored expressions of annoyance. They turned their attention back to the two lovers.

"Neji, is this your son?" The Head elder questioned, getting straight to the point. Neji looked down at him and Hinata looked into his eyes, silently begging him to just let her take the fall. He raised his head and walked over so that he stood next to them.

"Yes." He answered, calmly and proudly. Jiro's face became unattractively burgundy. The elders looked nearly triumphant. Hiashi turned away. Hinata shivered.

"Have you been with Hinata sexually with full knowledge that she had already been taken by Jiro?" The elder continued, gesturing to Hinata's estranged husband when he was mentioned. Neji met his glare head on with emotionless power.

"I have."

"And were you the one who instigated these meetings with the full knowledge that they were wrong?" Hiashi looked at him again, his eyes full of pity. Neji drew himself up to his full height.

"I was."

"_No_!" Everyone jumped and looked down at Hinata who had shrieked out the word, looking up at him with desperately crazed eyes. "He didn't instigate them, it was me!" She protested, new tears rolling down her cheeks to match her once again wailing child's. Hiashi looked the most surprised out of the lot at Hinata's raised voice. "_I_ seduced _him_!" she claimed wildly, lightly bouncing her baby to try to calm him down.

"Hinata…" Hiashi began warningly. Hinata shook her head and seemed to fold in on herself.

"It wasn't his fault…" She repeated as she sobbed.

No one believed her. It was written all over their faces that they didn't think such a timid girl as her could seduce anyone, much less Neji. They all, also, knew why she was defending him so desperately; her punishment wouldn't be as severe as his. Of course, it would be very bad, but his would be worse than death while hers would just be banishment to the House of Reflections.

Had he been of the main house, things would have been switched. He would have gotten a slap on the wrist and a scolding while she would still be sent to the House, where she would be locked in there for a predetermined time in isolation to _think_ about her wrong doings. No contact with the outside world whatsoever.

However, being born Branch, he would have the curse seal activated for a very long time and he would be beat until he could no longer feel his back. The Main branch must protect the purity of their maidens, and no Branch scum would taint them without ruthless consequences.

If she took responsibility, then nothing would happen to him because he was meant to serve her requests and, if she said that it was, then that included sexual favors. She would be punished and he would just be flogged.

It was complicated and unintelligent, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The council looked down at Hinata as she tried to muffle her cries with her unoccupied hand with a calculative and unfeeling stare.

"Neji, join Hinata." An elder stated in a bored manner. He complied, but only to use the opportunity to place a comforting hand on the small of her back. She hiccupped and looked at him with poignant, contrite eyes. Jiro looked apoplectic. "You two are, obviously, aware of the consequences of your actions. Are you prepared to accept what the Head of the Family will decide to punish you with?"

"I am." Neji answered, glancing over at Hiashi-sama. Hinata squeaked a few times before getting her answer out also. The baby continued to bawl. Hinata whispered for him to please be quiet. Hiashi stood there with pride in his shoulders and reluctance in his eyes. There were no sounds from the grownups in the room.

"I…" He started, slowing as he watched his daughter flinch violently at the sound of his voice. "Am willing to take the lesser of two evils on the basis that you are both young and irrational." He said. "Though, not as young as I would have hoped for such foolishness to occur." He gave a pointed look at Neji as he said this. He took a deep breath through his nose before he continued.

"Hinata, you are required to spend one and a half weeks in the House of Reflection, and, pertaining to the state of your marriage, if Jiro wishes to divorce you, he may. Neji," Neji tore his eyes away from the mother of his child as Hiashi tried to get his attention. "How many times did you two meet, approximately?" Neji blinked as he thought.

"Nearly a hundred, Hiashi-sama?" He answered. Hiashi closed his eyes and nodded.

"You will receive double that amount in lashes. You will be placed in a holding cell and you will get no food, with water coming once every three days, for the duration of two weeks. As for the child…" He trailed off as he watched his grandchild finally calm down enough to sniffle and turn his head into Hinata's breast, obviously hungry. "You may do what you want with him." Jiro let out an angry hiss at this decree.

"No! I want you to drown the bastard!" He growled angrily. Hinata let out a wordless cry at that and turned her whole body around so that she was between her husband and her child. As soon as the word 'drown' had left his mouth, Neji had been on his feet with his kunai in his hand and standing in front of his child and Hinata with his Byakugan activated.

"You will _not_ touch him." He spat at the despicable little man. Hiashi raised two fingers and suddenly an explosive pain beyond all belief slammed and echoed through his brain and body as his seal was activated. He exclaimed in pain and dropped his kunai, falling to his knees and clutching his head. Then it cut off and Neji raised his head shakily, hesitantly prying his hands away from his skull.

"Take them away." Hiashi demanded, turning to look at the wall behind him. Two Hyuuga peeled away from the shadows and took them by the arms, leading them separate ways. He dug his heals in and turned towards her.

"Hinata." He called she turned to look at him. He licked his lips. "Hinge would be a good name." He suggested before the door was shut and the man pulled out a whip.

~-X-~

Neji coughed through his dry throat and tried to sit in such a way that it didn't hurt the lashes on his back. He had been here for eleven days already and the water he had been trying to preserve was gone. He tried to tell himself that he only had three more days left before he could get out of this stupid cell but it just made him more anxious.

He had no word of Hinata and his son. Her sentence ended yesterday and he hoped that he would hear whispers of their well being, but none had passed his sensitive ears. He had to take that as good news, because he didn't know what else he could do.

The chains of the chakra suppressing cuffs rattled as he reached up to push his hair out of his face. There was clanging noise from outside and he sighed as he remembered that it was time for the guards to change shifts. Then he heard a noise that had him jolting himself up onto the bars.

"Lin-san, I'll only be a moment." The whispered voice of Hinata echoed through the empty space that held him. Her form silhouetted in the door as she opened it and the sunlight rushed in. He flinched at the sudden light and blinked a few times. He heard a gasp. "_Neji_…"

A hand was suddenly cupping his cheek and he could feel her soft hands through the stubble on his face. It was like heaven had lent him an angel for a little moment of reprieve. There was a gurgling noise and he looked down in her arms and saw his child looking at him with curious white eyes. He smiled and reached through the bars to wave at him with two fingers.

Hinata smiled and pushed some of Neji's hair back, gently touching a bruise on his forehead. He shook his head and grabbed onto her hand.

"How are you?" He asked. Hinata looked at him in surprise and he realized that his voice had sounded rough and croaky from lack of water and use. He cleared his throat but all it did was cause it to hurt.

"I'm fine. We both are. Oh, Neji…" She looked tearful. "You look horrible." He nodded quietly.

"It's to be expected." He responded. Her expression remained grave and he began to worry. "What's wrong?" Hinata shuddered and leaned her forehead into the bars where his was.

"The elders, Chichiue, and Jiro have reached an agreement." She began; her voice cracking. "He won't divorce me or kill Hinge as long as he grows up thinking that Jiro is his father. You are to have minimum contact with him and you are no longer allowed to be my personal watch." Neji winced but smiled mirthlessly.

"You named him Hinge." He stated. Hinata nodded and smiled.

"It is a good name." She answered. She maneuvered around the bars and awkwardly kissed him on his lips. He closed his eyes to savor the last few bits of it before she drew back. "We have to go. I'm sorry." She stood up. "Neji, I love you." She whispered, and left quickly before he could give his answer.

"I love you, too." He whispered to nothing.

* * *

**Did you like it?**

**It's very important that you tell me this because I'm just testing the waters and if no one likes it then I don't want to have to keep my other fics on hold to work on something no one reads. So...**

**Review please!**


	2. Anecdote

**I'm back!**

**Whoo!**

**Alrighty, I got some positive reviews so, I'm continuing on my Cousin!Love trek.**

**Just as a general warning; I won't be updating this fast again, I'm just doing this so that you have more than one chapter to look at, and because it always makes me twitchy when I see a story that's supposed to have more than one chapter but it only has that one. Sooo, I'm fixing that!**

**Expect new updates every TWO WEEKS!! If I'm not going to be available for the day when it's due to be updated then I will update it earlier.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Anecdote_

~-X-~

_I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children, they just about throw up.  
—Barbara Bush_

~-X-~

"Okaasan?"

Hinata blinked and looked over to her right, starting to blush at being caught not paying any attention to her surroundings. Her youngest, and only, daughter looked back up at her with large white eyes. She smiled down at her and bent at the waist.

"Yes, Ama-chan?" She asked, using her 'mom voice' which only consisted of gentler tones and a love that was so big it hurt her chest. She didn't know what her daughter wanted, but it was probably just another of her seemingly endless questions; whether it was about why the sky was blue, or what a certain type of flower was. Sometimes she even asked what her name was.

"Okaasan, did Chichiue tell Okaasan that he loved her?" She asked, mispronouncing most of the words partially due to the fact that she was missing a few of her teeth and partially because she had her fingers in her mouth. Hinata smiled warmly and reached forward, gently pulling her fingers from her mouth with a placid scolding.

"Yes he did." Amaya's already adorably large eyes widened further.

"How?" She asked, in an awed voice.

Behind her inquisitive daughter, the three others that were along on the walk had stopped when the question was asked. The eldest one in attendance, Rai, was pretending that he didn't care with his hands in his large sleeves as he faked surveying a bulky flowering tree.

The additional two—Sachio and Kenji, who were playmates because they were so close to each other's age, stopped playing 'Ninja Rivals' and looked over with obvious and unbridled interest.

Hinata smiled at the reactions, knowing how much all children loved to hear stories about the past that may pertain to themselves or others that they know. Glancing at Rai, she knew that wasn't all the reason. To her children, their father was a respected and loved man surrounded by mystery, danger and awe. They knew next to nothing about him and the older of her sons felt slightly snubbed by that.

She knew that Neji didn't mean for that to happen; it was just how he was. He didn't talk much anyway, much less about his past. She knew that most of it was not a very cheerful time for him. This story, however, was a perfectly happy one, to say the least. She would oblige them the story and hope that Neji wouldn't mind.

She stood up straight again and walked over to the stone bench that was off to the side for weary garden-travelers, sitting with a thoughtful breath and a gesture for them to join her.

The younger ones did quickly, her daughter rushing up as fast as her cute little legs could take her in her yukata, and the two boys pushing each other out of the way to get there first. Amaya pulled herself onto the bench, with a little bit of help from Hinata, and the boys sat by her feet. She glanced over at Rai and smiled in question.

He blushed lightly at being caught listening and came over, but stood off to the side. Hinata cocked her head as she thought back to the day that he first confessed his feelings.

"Well…" She began, trying to find a way to make it less boring, but still factual for her younger and less attentive audience. Amaya wiggled around in anticipation and Hinata placed a calming hand on her brown hair and smoothed it down. "We were on a mission and we were very, very lost." She said, smiling at the memory.

~-X-~

"…Hinata-sama, I am most definitely _not _lost." Neji claimed resolutely, his Byakugan scanning the area for a familiar marking of some sort. His eyes roamed over to her and his eyebrow crinkled slightly in irritation. "And I would appreciate if you stopped saying that I was." He finished, reaching into his pack and drawing out his kunai, marking a tree with it before putting it right back where it came from.

Hinata cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ear daintily. Distantly, they could hear the rumble of a water fall—and Neji could no doubt see it—and the forest was so thick that only small beams of light filtered through the canopy in random spurts.

They had been separated from the rest of their group but she had no doubt that they would either find them or vice versa, because Akamaru knew her scent well and Lee was…_youthful _enough to keep looking for days, if needed.

She quickly looked at Neji and then away again.

And Neji refused to believe that they had been left behind.

It wasn't like she was sad or mad that she was alone with Neji, it was quite the opposite due to the feelings that she had developed for him.

It was just embarrassing that she couldn't look at him straight without being embarrassed about _that_. She didn't want him to get angry at her because he had actually been very, very nice to her lately and she loved it.

"Neji-san," She started nervously, inching closer to him. "I th-think we should put up a signal…" Neji grumbled incoherently and turned his head to look her full in the face.

"That would give away our position to others besides our teammates." He told her in a condescending voice. Hinata couldn't help herself; she flinched. Neji saw this and it seemed to irritate him far more than their current situation. He scowled and turned to continue scanning the surrounding foliage.

Hinata lagged behind and looked around in a paranoid fashion. She hated places like this. It was creepy and she had the strangest feeling that they were being _watched_…

She shivered and looked behind her shoulder. She walked forwards and suddenly met light resistance. She turned to look in front of her and saw that she was nose -to-body with a spider and it web. She opened her mouth to eep, but no noise came out. The spider didn't move. Hinata didn't even dare to breathe.

Its leg twitched.

Hinata screamed and back peddled, flailing her arms in front of her. She vaguely remembered seeing Neji, faster than her eyes could follow, whipping out his weapon and leaping in her direction simultaneously.

She backed up and smacked into a tree, cracking her head back against it in her rush. Normally, this just would have been a cause for discomfort and perhaps a headache, but she hit her head on a raggedly broken limb and she hit on the softer part down towards her neck.

She swayed a bit and then slipped down onto her rear end, blinking against the spots.

"Hinata-sama?" Neji asked. She blinked harder and looked up in the direction of the voice. A large blotch covered his face and half of his neck. She giggled, inexplicitly. She followed him as he knelt down in front of her. "Hinata-sama, are you alright?"

She reached her hand back to feel her head where she hit it, because it was really starting to throb now and she wanted to check the damage. She drew her fingers back in front of her spotty eyes and squinted at them. She heard Neji inhale sharply and she realized that she had blood on her fingers.

"Hinata." He said, dropping her title and adopting a very serious and intense voice. She felt herself begin to hyperventilate as she saw the blood and began to grasp that she actually felt rather faint…

"_Hinata_." He hissed, grabbing her face in both his hands and holding her up. She sighed and opened her eyes. His Byakugan was still activated, but she didn't think that he noticed anymore. Which was weird because, if she had it on for a long time like that, then she usually started to become nauseas.

Behind him, she saw movement and stared at it, wondering if it was their friends. At the same time, Neji stiffened, placed her back against the tree, turned around, and had his kunai drawn all in one swift motion. He took up a protective stance in front of her and demanded that the people come out.

Hinata began to squirm in worry because she knew that _that_wasn't the voice that he used for friends and her subconscious instincts were taking the cues from the big scary man that he was nervous and so she should be, too. Neji placed a hand on her stomach and she ceased moving immediately.

Her mind was beginning to clear enough to remember that she had a kunai, too, as well as a few throwing stars in her pack. Her hand inched back towards them. She almost had them, too, and then the man stepped out.

She didn't know who he was and she still doesn't know today; all she knew was that he was dangerous and that he could do some serious damage when given the opportunity.

"Neji…" She whispered. The hand on her stomach tensed, then withdrew. She stayed unmoving as he rolled forward into a position that enabled him to easily vault himself towards the man if needed.

"Homura, I assume?" He said, in a calm, almost snide, voice. The man tilted his head back proudly.

"You know me? Then you must be the ninja after me." He asked smugly. She couldn't see Neji's expression, but it must have been even more patronizing than his voice because smug became frustrated.

"Hardly. We don't have the time to waste on you. Local Law Enforcement is who you should worry about." Neji answered, his hand tightening on the kunai's hilt in anticipation for the man's angry rush toward him. Instead, though, he got an angry flushing and a sudden flurry of hand movements that Hinata knew as hand signs. She began to try to move.

"I'll give you something to trouble you, then." He mumbled, irritably. She watched as he went to make the last hand signal and Neji launched at him, going to incapacitate him before he could finish. He would have made it, to, but he had waited too long, perhaps thinking that the man wasn't good enough to be able to do a jutsu.

Whatever it was, the hesitation that he had made had cost him valuable time and the man cast a jutsu on him. Neji froze, dropped his kunai, and fell to his knees, obviously in a genjutsu. The man blinked in shock and then laughed triumphantly and kicked Neji on the shoulder, knocking his limp body over onto its side.

"I didn't think that would work." He confessed to himself. Hinata made a distressed mewling noise as she tried to make her legs move and bring her hands up to release the genjutsu. The man stiffened and Homura looked at her, evidently having forgotten about her until her noise. He grinned at her. "Did I make you mad?" He asked in a voice that people usually reserve for babies or small animals.

Hinata looked up at him and scowled, gritting her teeth and lugging herself shakily to her feet. She knew that she didn't exactly look intimidating with her legs shaky and leaning against the tree for support, but she wanted to be standing. The man laughed at her and began his slow advance towards her.

"Are you mad that I hurt your boyfriend?" He crooned, making kissy faces and noises. Hinata smiled humorously, mostly just baring her teeth as Neji began to twitch behind the man.

She leaned her back against the tree and brought her arms out and then clapped them together, audibly, and forming the release sign. The man stopped, not knowing what the sign meant. She focused on Neji and drew in a deep breath. "Hey… Hey, stop!" The man said and began to advance quicker than before, intent upon stopping her.

"Release!" Hinata cried as she expelled the breath. She knew that it worked when Neji's limp, but twitching body, became stiff and the twitching stopped. Hinata smiled proudly and willed him to get up, swiftly.

The man reached her, still not aware of what she had done, and smacked her hard. She fell over sideways and lay on the ground while her already throbbing head began to pound in time with her adrenaline charged heart.

"What'd ya try to do to me, you little bitch?" He growled at her. Then he…well, he gurgled. She looked up at him and saw that Neji had him by the throat. He was standing between the man and Hinata and he had lifted Homura off of his feet. Homura looked about ready to piss his pants.

"You shouldn't play little ninja games with the big ninja men if you can't keep up." Neji hissed at him and squeezed so hard the man's eyes bugged. Hinata sat up and made a small noise at the pain in her cranium, touching her cheek where she was positive that there would be a bruise.

"Neji…" She said, placing a hand on the back of his calf. He looked back at her. She winced at the pain in her head and gently said; "Let him go."

Neji, of course, looked like that was the very last thing that he wanted to do, but he nodded and set the man down, keeping the tight grip on his throat so that he could pull him close to his face and growl at him.

"You will never come near her again."

It was not a suggestion, and the man knew it. Even though he was oxygen starved and his eyes were starting to roll back, he still had the presence of mind to nod his understanding. Neji threw him back.

"Leave." He spat at the man, who scrambled to his feet and ran off unsteadily. Then Neji turned towards Hinata and bent down to her level, his Byakugan shrinking away as he looked at her. "Are you all right?" He asked. Hinata started to nod her head and stopped when she realized that it hurt a lot to do that.

"I should ask you that; he had _you _in the genjutsu." She responded weakly. He shrugged and continued to check her over.

"They're all the same after a while." He answered simply. He looked into her face and his eyebrows drew together as he reached up and gently fingered her cheek. She flinched and gasped at the pain. His worried expression became angry. "He hit you." He stated. Hinata glanced off to the side and used her hand to hide the mark.

"Yes." She said. Neji let out a breath of air too forcefully to call it a sigh.

"You should have let me kill him." He stated. Hinata closed her eyes.

"He didn't deserve it." She retorted, squinting against the pain in her head. Neji tenderly pushed her bangs out of her face.

"He did." He said gently. There must have been something in his tone because Hinata opened her eyes and looked at him. They just sort of look at each other for a few moments and then the hand that he had on her forehead, sifted through her hair to the back of her head where he pulled her against him in a tight hug.

"N-Neji?" She said, blushing horribly and wincing as her head throbbed at the sudden rush of blood.

"I love you." He half whispered, half mumbled into her hair. It was right then and there that Hinata fainted.

~-X-~

"…And when I woke up, I was in the hospital and he was on a different mission." She finished, watching her children's expressions. Amaya looked very happy and had migrated onto Hinata's lap, somehow. Rai looked far happier about the fact that his father was such an able fighter.

Sachio and Kenji were already reenacting the fight between Neji and Homura.

"But, why didn't Chichiue wait for you to wake up?" Amaya asked again, her wide eyes innocent. Hinata licked her lips. _Why?_ _Because they were both embarrassed about it for weeks, way too embarrassed for face-to-face conversation._

"Amaya."

All of their heads turned in the direction of the rich baritone of the main character of the story as he emerged from the shadows. Rai straightened up his posture and Kenji ran up to him happily, grabbing onto one leg. Sachio did much the same thing except that he bowed before latching onto the other leg.

"Welcome home, Neji." Hinata greeted. Neji nodded.

"I'm home." He responded. Amaya squirmed and got down on the ground.

"Chichiue!" She squealed, stumbling towards him. Hinata stood up and helped her up when she fell. Neji's eyes landed on her and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Have you been bothering your Okaasan?" He questioned rhetorically. Amaya looked at her feet and then off to the side when a butterfly caught her interest and she was off chasing it. Hinata watched her warmly. "Was she?"

Hinata looked over at Neji and watched as he nodded at Rai before again turning his attention on his wife. She tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Of course not." She said, gently coming up to him and placing a chaste kiss on his lips in greeting. "She just asked for a story."

* * *

**Was it cheesy? Yes.**

**Did I enjoy writing that way too much? Of course!!**

**Tell me if you found any errors, and all that spiel!**

**Review!!**


	3. Attempt

**I am back!**

**Two weeks, as promised, and another one appears, magically! -alleluia chorus-**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Attempt_

~-X-~

_No one ever loved anyone the way that person wanted to be loved._

—_Mignon McLaughlin_

~-X-~

Hinata was doing her best.

Really, she was. It was just very hard to do exactly what he wanted. The moment she thought that if she did this he would like it; it seemed almost as if he _didn't_ like it. She and he didn't have much in common, that was already very obvious, but Hinata wasn't going to stop trying.

Other Hyuuga's may have been stuck in loveless marriages, but Hinata swore that hers wouldn't be like that. She would find a way to _make_ Neji love her.

Of course, it wasn't like he didn't already. No, they both had _some_ feelings for each other, which was why both of them accepted it so gracefully, but in the face of this, they both realized that they had no idea how to make one another happy.

He had already figured it out, and his deductive skills were to thank for that, but Hinata had gotten the short end of the straw. The man barely knew what the word emotion was, much less how to convey it.

She really did love him, and she wanted him to love her back.

She contemplatively clipped the end of a flower before she arranged it carefully in amongst her others as she watched the koi swim around in the water, the sun reflecting off of their orange and white scales. The water trickled down the spout serenely and Hinata ran her hand down the flower's stem thoughtfully.

It couldn't be that hard to figure it out. She knew that he enjoyed it when she cooked for him, even though she knew that her cooking was mediocre at best, and he enjoyed it when she made him things, even though it was limited only to flower arrangements, healing ointments, and disastrously sewn good luck charms.

Behind her, she heard the door slide open and clack closed again. She glanced away from the fishes and placed her last flower in, moving it about until it looked perfect. Footsteps thudded dully on the wood floors as he moved closer to her.

"I'm home, Hinata."

His voice was a welcome break in the silence and Hinata smiled, looking up at him.

"Welcome home." She answered.

He looked down at her and nodded before settling down next to her. She gently began to pick up the discarded ends of her flowers, scooting closer to her husband in a way that over half of the elders would consider horrendously unladylike.

"How was Chichiue?" She asked conversationally. Neji looked out over their garden and folded his hands into his sleeves.

"Extraordinarily brisk for a man who needs a staff to be mobile." He responded drily. Hinata giggled at the mental image. Her father had just recovered from a particularly strong bout of illness and, because she was now Head of the clan, she wasn't allowed to see him in case she caught the sickness, too. So she had been sending Neji on recon to collect information on his well being.

She began to push aside her newest arrangement but Neji stilled her hand before reaching over and bringing it closer.

"This is beautiful." He commented as he surveyed it. Hinata blushed at the complement and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"You say that about all of them." She reminded him ineptly in a desperate dash for the sanctuary of modesty, although her inner ego swelled at his complement. He glanced over at her and caught her eye, his lips curving at the sides.

"Because they are." He said. Hinata squeaked and Neji smirked a little wider before looking back over at her flowers. Hinata placed a hand to her red face and took a deep, calming breath as she watched her husband observing her flowers.

He looked very calm. Not happy, but calm. Almost pleased, if you were feeling generous, but he had no smile on his lips or in his eyes, just his usual cold calculation. He was still very handsome, his long hair pulled back and the bandage still secure on his forehead, perfect posture and unmarred clothing.

She felt warm just looking at him; she felt _complete_. In a way she never thought that she would after Naruto remained oblivious to her affections. She _did_ feel happy and she felt guilty for being the only one who felt like it.

"What can I do to make you happy?" She asked, the words thoughtlessly tumbling from her mouth, before she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Neji's eyes roamed over to her and he cocked a questioning eyebrow. Hinata flinched and lowered her hand to where it clutched her other one sitting on her chest. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I asked that."

Feeling suitably embarrassed and horribly awkward, she rose as gracefully as she could manage and picked up the stems, trying to come up with an excuse for her hasty retreat. Neji sat there, watching her.

Hinata shuffled away with her head lowered, trying to use her hair to hide her face. She extended her hand to get out of the room and away from the discomfort but a larger, masculine hand grasped hers before she had a chance to even touch the door.

His hand drew hers towards himself and away from the door. The steady, but gentle, pressure made her have to turn her body towards him also. She kept her head lowered and facing away from him, clutching the stems tightly to her chest. Part of her was curious as to what he was going to do or say, but the other half of her just wanted to _leave_.

"Hinata…" She clenched her eyes shut. The pressure on her captive hand increased. "Look at me." He said in a composed, but no less irritated, voice. She pealed open her eyes slowly and looked up at him with only her eyes, leaving her head lowered. He sighed quietly but didn't pursue the topic. He pulled on her hand and she complied by coming closer.

When she was nearly touching his chest with her nose, she stopped and they both stood there, silently. Hinata felt herself about to hyperventilate when Neji finally spoke up.

"Do think that I am unhappy?" It was a simple question. One that required an even simpler yes or no answer, but Hinata nearly burst into tears. She did _not_ want to tell him this. If she said it outloud, it would be like admitting her failure to the world, but if she answered in false truth then he would call her bluff and she would still be divulging her regret.

He wasn't pressuring her or trying to hurry an answer out of her, merely standing immobile and silent whilst his wife panicked wordlessly. Hinata found that even worse, though. She felt tears prick at the back of her eyes and shook her head violently.

"No? You don't think I'm unhappy?" Neji prompted in response to her movement. Hinata recoiled and almost whimpered.

"I don't know. I can't tell." She whispered dreadfully deciding that this was a neutral enough answer. Neji remained unchanged and she chanced a glance up at his face. He was looking at her, but not really. Almost as if he was so deep in thought that he was looking right through her. After one slow and heavy blink he righted himself.

"Elaborate." He demanded. Hinata nearly gagged.

"I… I make y-you things, and I try to do things that I think might please you, b-but I can never t-tell if you act-tually do." The words began to flow and Hinata found that no matter how hard she mentally hit herself, she couldn't stop them.

"I just want you to be as happy as I am, but I can't figure out how to do that. You seem to know everything that I enjoy, yet I cannot find one thing other than when you're on a mission that is successful." She pushed her hair back hopelessly. "I can't just send you away on missions for your happiness. I would never see you, and the elders would go into apoplectic fit that I was without your protection. There's just nothing that I—"

"Hinata."

She squealed and recoiled in shock and horror at herself. _How could I say all of that? He must think that I'm a disagreeable person…_ She looked up at him hesitantly, the tears she felt before dangerously close to overflowing. When she got a good enough look at his face she gasped and her whole body went slack, the hand that was clutching the discarded stems falling and sending them rolling to all corners of the room.

Neji was smiling at her.

Oh, he had smiled at her before, obviously, but not like this. Never like this…

Hinata felt herself flush the deepest red she had all day and she began to stutter out nonsense as she touched her face and found that she couldn't take her eyes away.

"Hinata, I'm not discontented." He assured her as he reached out and gently took a piece of her hair between his fingers. "It's precisely the opposite." He brought the strands to his lips and kissed it lovingly. Hinata made an eeping noise. "You needn't worry. Everything you do, you do wonderfully." Hinata felt her head bobbing in assent because her mouth could form no coherent words.

He smiled at her one last time before he straightened, letting her hair slip though his fingers, and then the spell was broken. Hinata swallowed and looked up at him, feeling rather faint, but overwhelmingly relieved. Neji looked down at her, unexpressive as before.

"The flowers are lovely. Would you like me to put them anywhere?" He inquired as if nothing had even happened. Hinata's mouth worked wordlessly like a fish out of water trying to get air.

"Um… W-what? Oh, yes, the f-flowers." She touched her unbearably warm cheek and swallowed shakily again. "I thought we could give them to Ino to put on display at the shop. I have nowhere else to put them, really. Chichiue already has so many of them that his room is now so fragrant that even I can smell it when the wind blows correctly."

He nodded and walked over to get her latest arrangement so that they could begin their trek to the Yamanaka shop. She smiled.

Hinata was doing her best.

And it was enough.

* * *

**Was it good?**

**Review please!**


	4. Changes

**More magic!**

**And NejiXHinata goodness...**

**Enjoy, por favor!**

* * *

_Changes_

~-X-~

_If you could only love enough, you could be the most powerful person in the world._

—_A. E. Housman_

~-X-~

His first change of heart towards Hinata had been entirely unanticipated and halfway forced.

He had been wandering around the main branch's compound, looking for Hinata so that they could spar, as ordered by Hiashi-sama. His search had been unsuccessful and he glanced around carefully before deploying his Byakugan momentarily to pin-point her.

He found that she was standing outside a room and he quickly deactivated his bloodline trait so as not to be caught using it by a main branch member.

He walked around the final corner and saw his cousin standing outside the door in her training clothes with her head bowed, rocking back and forth on her feet. Neji had been confused.

Hinata had started when she saw him and had quickly made a shushing motion with her hand and had hustled them both off to the training grounds before Neji could catch more than a few words coming from within the room.

It hadn't been much, but he could deduce that they had been talking about her, and it was nothing good. Once he had figured this out, he had predicted that she would be mopey and weepy during training, easily discouraged and beat back.

He had been wrong. Their jeers only served to strengthen her punches and she fought with a desperate determination that bordered almost on madness.

His first change of heart had been friendship, to an extent, and a respect that had grown with her strength.

The second change of heart towards Hinata had also been unexpected but it had also been mostly enjoyed by both parties.

She had been wandering around the _Kaiyu-shiki_ with him two very proper steps behind her, carefully observing the surroundings and his cousin at the same time. She walked around aimlessly, gently caressing the petals of random flowers and occasionally flinching when a bee fluttered out from the center.

They had passed under the brief shade of a maple tree, when Hinata had halted and squinted up into the branches. Neji had followed her gaze and caught sight of a spider web with a desperate butterfly in the middle. In its panic, it had been kicking off the droplets of water that had clung to the web from the night before and the drops had landed on her head.

She made a small gasping noise and had gently handed him her light shawl, rolling up the sleeves of her formal kimono and kicking off her shoes to get a good grip on the tree. Neji had stared at her with a cocked eye brow, debating whether he should help her, tell her to get down, or stay where he was.

She had gently gotten a hold of the butterfly, and was untangling it. She got down again, the web barely damaged, and the butterfly cupped between her hands. She had slipped back into her shoes and waddled over to Neji, directing him into a certain position.

He obliged curiously. She stood in front of him and very close, almost indecently so, to his chest. He quickly figured out that she was using his larger size to hide herself from the eyes of anyone walking by. She concentrated deeply on the small, twitching bug in her hands and a soft blue glow had surrounded the little insect.

Neji found himself staring at the light, mesmerized. It flickered and died and the bug was in her hand, its wings beating rhythmically as it scuttled around in confusion. Hinata looked up at him and smiled before turning away and opening her hand, the bug in her palms facing the sky. It took flight immediately and landed on a distant flower.

Neji watched her as she turned and smiled and thanked him as she retrieved her shawl that he had extended out to her. They had resumed their walk but Neji couldn't help his question;

"Why did you help it? It's going to die eventually, no matter what you did."

Her posture had stiffened in surprise at his voice. She turned to look at him with a gentle and contemplative look in her eyes, and a light red flush of embarrassment on her face. She stopped walking and sat down on a decorative bench after dusting it off. Neji stood next to her and waited.

When it seemed like she wouldn't answer he ignored the twinge of disappointment and returned to his surveillance.

"…ance."

He blinked and looked over at Hinata.

"Pardon me?" He asked and watched as she flushed and fidgeted.

"I think that everything deserves a second chance." She repeated looking up at him with her opalescent eyes. Neji's mouth suddenly seemed unbearably dry.

His second change had been to an understanding and comfortable companionship.

The third change was the most confusing by far and a silent killer that had snuck up to him and stabbed him in his heart before he had the prescience of mind to stop it.

He had been sent on a mission that had not exactly gone as expected. They had almost been ambushed, and, had Neji not caught them with his Byakugan, far more people would have died than the final toll. He, himself, had only a few cuts and bruises and nothing life threatening. His hair hadn't even been touched.

Yet on his return, Hinata had clumsily rushed up to him, slipping a few times and moving slower than usual because her kimono wouldn't allow for her legs to stretch very far. He had taken pity on her and had met her halfway to stop the embarrassing sight.

"Hinata-sama?" He prompted, in a near impatient voice.

She had stood in front of him, catching her breath and absentmindedly straightening and smoothing down the silk of her adorning clothing as she took in his sight. He didn't think to question what she was doing up so late, and dressed as such. Didn't even consider what she was doing waiting for him.

It had seemed as though every tangible and intelligent thought had been forcefully shoved from his brain and he could only stare at her indiscreetly.

The moon and randomly lit lanterns cast little light to see from, but it still found a way to make her long hair glisten and shine beautifully. Her lips shimmered in a way that said she had make-up on, but not much. Small goose bumps had erupted on her skin and she shivered lightly, her breath making puffs of visible air in the night, reminding Neji just how cold it was.

It didn't feel that way anymore.

He nearly jumped from his skin when her fingers had lightly fluttered over the bare skin of his arm where he had ripped away a sleeve to use as a make-shift bandage on one of the worse off victims.

"Y-you're bleeding…" she had squeaked, her voice cracking at the end of her sentence it had reached such a high level. Neji looked where she was indicating and took notice that it wasn't his, just blood that had been wiped on him when someone had grabbed onto his arm to get helped up.

"It's not mine." He assured her. He couldn't tell if he imagined the relief in her white orbs. She looked away from his face, her own face starting to redden as she looked over the rest of him.

He watched her circumspectly. Her nail snagged one of his few wounds and he hissed, more in surprise than pain, and she retracted her hand quickly with a shocked yelp and hurried apologies that died in her throat when she saw his blood on her dainty, pale fingers.

"Where were you going?" Hinata asked him after she balled up her fist to hide his blood. Neji blinked, sifting through his brain to remember where he was going.

"I was going to check in with Hiashi-sama to inform him that my mission was finished." Hinata shook her head at his words.

"Chichiue's out on business. The remaining elders and I are in charge until his return." She told him in her odd business tone as her insipid eyes fluttered, still checking over his body. "I will be sure to note that you have returned. Neji-san," She faltered her professional tone dying as they made eye contact. "What happened to you?"

He tilted his head up and looked down at her.

"Nothing." He answered, eager to leave for reasons he couldn't even begin to fathom. She flinched at his abrupt answer and ducked her gaze before meeting eyes again.

"C…Could n-nothing have hurt you this badly?" She stumbled over a few of her words, and her voice was shaky, but she didn't break eye contact. Neji felt an absurd sense of pride but wanted to leave even more urgently than earlier.

"I'm fine." He insisted rightfully. She swallowed heavily.

"Neji-san…"

"Yes, Hinata-sama?" He felt childish for dodging her obvious attempts at medical attention, but they were unneeded and he just wanted to depart for the safety of his room, away from incessant cousins and reflectable moons.

She was looking at him attentively, still shivering, but ridiculously warm with her body heat that he could suddenly feel due to her unexpectedly close proximity. Her hand reached up and her fingers fluttered across his cheek-bone. His body went into shock in surprise at how good it felt and he began to tingle all over, the sensation suddenly concentrating on a certain area in his pants.

Hinata was very close now, her eyes focusing on a point below his nose. He couldn't break eye contact with her. He knew that if he did what he wanted to and dove to capture the kiss she was starting to initiate and that they both desperately wanted, they would get in trouble.

Her breath puffed across his lips.

His control snapped, almost audibly, like the twang of a broken bowstring.

He crashed his mouth to hers, obviously surprising her guessing at the muffled mewling noise. Her fingers were in his hair, grabbing onto it tightly and painfully. He ignored it and worked his lips around on her own, all of the feelings that had generated between the two of them over the years venting out in this one kiss.

Neji could tell that Hinata had no idea what to do and was just being swept along wherever he directed, and part of him felt a little guilty for that; he felt that her first kiss should have been a bit more quixotic than this hurried molestation of her mouth. He couldn't stop, though. He couldn't bring himself to slow down.

The dam had broken and nothing short of an explosion could bring him back to the present.

He bent down, never breaking the lip contact, to get a hold of Hinata under her knees and lifted her up quickly so that he didn't have to bend his neck down at an uncomfortable angle to kiss her, pushing her kimono up on the way so that it wouldn't rip.

She gasped at the sudden elevation that she found herself in, tightening her knees around his hips to help him hold her weight, and the sudden burst of air against his lips gave him the incentive to push his tongue into her mouth. He moved forward, awkwardly, so that she was trapped between him and the wall.

She whimpered and her grip on his hair tightened more.

Neji was in ecstasy. Far more poetic and intelligent words could be used to explain how he felt, but that was the closest to how it felt to have her in his arms, to have her pressed against him, after wanting it for so long but not knowing it. The relief and the pure feelings were overwhelming.

He suddenly sensed a presence moving towards them and he broke the kiss, leaving his lips suspended above hers as he concentrated on it. The chakra was inactive so it was probably a servant of some kind. Still, the presence had broken the spell that had been woven over the two of them and he looked at her, feeling guilty, but at loath to part with her warmth.

Her eyes expressed the same thing.

She swallowed and moved her hands from his hair to his shoulders. Neji closed his eyes and let her down carefully, keeping her close but making sure that, if the servant got closer, they wouldn't be in too intimate of a position.

"Neji-san?" Hinata whispered breathlessly. He closed his eyes tighter and leaned his head over hers and into the wall right above her hair. He let out a nearly silent groan of frustration and self disgust at his lack of control.

Her fingers trailed from his shoulders to his chest, hitting a few of his scratches along the way. He ignored the twinges of pain but couldn't stop his muscles from twitching spasmodically. His hand came up and gripped both of hers at the wrists and brought them away from his skin.

"Hinata-sama…" He said in a tired voice, his eyes still closed. The servant was getting closer. He bent down and kissed the top of her head, disregarding the hair that tickled his nose. Then he straightened and took a few steps away from her.

"I must go back to my home." She looked at him in confusion. Her eyes were wide and she was using the wall as her only means of support. Her face was flushed and her hair was sticking up at odd angles.

She looked almost fearful until she finally took notice of the servant's presence and made a silent O with her mouth in understanding. He nodded to her. "Goodnight." He said and left, feeling the best that he had in a very long time.

His third change was the most complicated and the most dangerous, but it had become love.

* * *

**Like?**

**Didn't like?**

**Review~!**


	5. Distance

**Woot!**

**Alright, this is going to be cheesy and a wee bit cliché but, hopefully, it's good enough that no one cares.**

**Enjoy!**

_Distance_

~-X-~

_Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible to see the other whole against the sky._

—_Rainer Maria Rilke_

~-X-~

He got sent on a mission in the spring.

Neither of them knew when he would be back, and those who did weren't saying anything. It was just one beautiful day in the spring and a man came in and asked for Neji, who was watching from the corner while Hinata practiced her fighting abilities with her father.

Later, when Hinata saw him at dinner, she had quietly queried as to what was going on. His face remained impassive as he carefully answered that nothing was 'going on' and that she should eat her food before it became cold.

He left one day later, slipping out during the night, without even a goodbye.

Hanabi had told her that she shouldn't worry; that ninja get called away for like this all the time. Hinata knew better, though. She knew that it had to be something bad to get him called away like that, because they had specified that Neji wasn't to be taken away from Hinata's side unless the situation was dire.

For nearly a week she fretted about the cause, about how long he would be gone, surprising herself with the ferocity in which she missed her shadow—her companion.

Then the answer came, accompanied by an attack.

They were at war, again, and Neji had to go fight in it. More than a few of her other friends were being sent to fight, also. Shino and Kiba were among them, as were Sakura and Ino. She couldn't go, though. She had to stay and practice for her ascension to Clan Head.

She received a new body guard, a spunky young Hyuuga named Kimiko, but she found that it wasn't the same. Though, the conversation that she struck up was a bit more riveting than Neji's steady quiet, though, at times, she really did miss Neji's silent confidence.

She tried to ignore the missing of her cousin, telling herself that one day, soon, he would come walking through the gates with his head held high, not a scratch on him. And, indeed, she could ignore it during the day, when there was plenty to do and learn, but after dark and while she was lying in bed with the crickets and cicadas chirping in the background the empty feeling would return.

Then came the morning, five months into the hostilities, when she suddenly couldn't remember his voice.

She panicked, of course, feeling horrible and dirty at the fact that she had so easily forgotten the one who had taken such good care of her. His face, she could remember, but it was fuzzy and some things seemed off about her memories.

Kimiko had found her crying on the floor with things that reminded her of her cousin spread out around her in a desperate attempt to refresh her memory. Hinata had desperately and tearfully asked if they had any news about Neji. Kimiko answered that, yes, they knew where he was stationed, and yes, as far as they knew he was perfectly fine, if not a little worn out from the months of steady fighting.

She had resigned herself to sending him a note to reassure herself that he was fine. It was just a small one, written in her small and dainty calligraphy, but she poured all of her concern and her apologetic feelings into it.

She didn't know what it would start.

--

_Dear Neji-san,_

_I sincerely apologize and acknowledge if this is an inconvenient time to be sending you a letter, but I have need to know of your welfare._

_Your replacement, Kimiko, has attempted to assure me that you are perfectly fine, but I needed to know for myself. Sorry again for any inconvenience._

_Stay safe._

_Sincerely; _

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_I have received your letter and wish to convey my gratitude for your concern about my well being, however unneeded it is._

_I'm fine. I do have contusions and incisions but, other than fatigue, I'm in perfectly good health._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji-san,_

_I was extremely relived to get your answer, and I'm overjoyed to hear that you aren't suffering from anything worse than a few bumps and scrapes. I'm going to send along a container of some ointment that you can put on those so that they don't get infected._

_It is sanitary where you are, right? I would not like you to become ill simply because of disregard to the conditions in which injured people are to remain._

_Stay safe._

_Sincerely;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_It is clean here, and while it would be unwise to eat anything that has fallen to the ground, it's not in any danger of causing widespread disease. I obtained your ointment and used it. My wounds are looking better already. Thank you._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji-san,_

_It's nice to know that I can help. It's one of the few things that I can do to assist in our warfare efforts, so whenever you need more of the healing salve, please just tell me and I will quickly make some and send it along with my next letter._

_Unless you find my letters troublesome. If you do I will stop sending them, you just have to tell me. I won't become offended._

_Stay safe._

_Cordially;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_I do not find your letters troublesome. They are a welcome distraction from the goings on around here and they give me something to do other than just sitting stationary and staring at nothing._

_I also request that you not be so formal with your address of me. Neji will suffice._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_I am happy to hear that I'm no burden, but if you insist that I do not call you so formally then I must ask for that you do the same for me._

_Also, do you know Kimiko?_

_Stay safe._

_Cordially;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_I am going to have to decline your request to drop the honorific of your name._

_The name does sound familiar. Is she of the Main House?_

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_If I may ask, why will you not call me informally? There is not going to be anyone besides you and I reading this note and it's not improper if I request it of you._

_She says that she's of both houses._

_Stay safe._

_Cordially;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_It is the principal of the thing. You are of higher social standing than I, regardless of our mode of communication, and I will honor this fact by calling you by your rightful title. I hope that is understood._

_Yes, I know Kimiko._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_Kimiko laughed when I told her that you knew her and said that it was about time you remembered her. Could I ask as to what prompted this reaction from her? You don't need to answer if you don't want to, I am just curious._

_Will you ever call me by just my name?_

_Stay safe._

_Cordially;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_We trained together for a little while and it was her fault that my hair had been cut in a lopsided manner. It grew back out but I remained sore about it for a while and she would tease me endlessly for it._

_I will call you by your name when I feel that I deserve the right._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_I'm sorry for the delay in my answer, but we had a bit of trouble at the compound. One of the elders died, Heike-san, and we had to give him a funeral. It made me sad. I was never very fond of him, but that doesn't mean that I wanted him dead. Death is such an unhappy ordeal. I wish that it wasn't so painful._

_You do deserve the right._

_Stay safe._

_Fondly;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_It was not unexpected. He was getting old and he was sick almost endlessly._

_I know that it makes you sad, Hinata-sama, but you are well aware that death is a part of life. It happens and there is nothing you can do to stop it. I aspire that I could make you feel well again, but I cannot._

_I'm sorry._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_I'm sending you a flower with this letter in the hopes that it will brighten your spirits, where ever you are. I snuck it away during my flower arrangement class because, when I saw it, I thought of you. Do you need any more ointment?_

_Stay safe._

_Fondly;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_Thank you for the gift. It is a lovely flower. What is its name?_

_I am beginning to run low on ointment and if you could send some, that would be fastidious. Thank you again._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_I'm glad that you like the flower! I thought that you would. It's a Gladiolus._

_I had a feeling that you were going to start needing the ointment soon, so I made some not too long before I received you message. I found that somewhat lucky. I contemplated adding some lavender to it, for a good scent, but then I remembered that you were in a ninja war and that you needed to stay ambiguous. I felt silly._

_Stay safe._

_Fondly;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_Gladiolus is a proper name for this flower. It suits it. Thank you for the ointment; it has saved me plenty of grief. The scent wouldn't have given me away if there wasn't a lot on me, and it would have reminded me of you._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_I miss you. I miss you so much that it hurts. _

_This has been weighing on me since you've left but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to seem selfish. That is actually what sparked these letters that I write. I felt so guilty because one morning I woke up and I could barely remember you, and it scared me._

_The letters help, though. When I read your letters, I can almost imagine that you're sitting right in front of me, talking to me, and I'm comforted._

_I'm also terrified that you won't come home. That I'll never get to see you again._

_Stay safe._

_Fondly;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_There is little for you to be concerned about. I will return when our business is done, perfectly whole and well._

_I…miss you as well. Your letters also serve to remind me of you and your presence. They help._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_When __will you return? It has been over a year, now, and it seems as if the fighting is just now starting to gain momentum. You must come home soon._

_Stay safe._

_Fondly;_

_Hinata_

--

_Hinata-sama—_

_I do not know. I wish that I could tell you when I will come back, but none of us know. I'm sorry._

—_Neji_

--

_Dear Neji,_

_I have rewritten this letter many times over, trying to find a way to say this that doesn't make me sound like a selfish brat, and I can find no better way to say it than the way it was originally intended to come out;_

_I need you._

_I discovered this slowly, but now it's blaringly obvious. Without you, I feel lost and confused. Everything is much more in control and I feel safer when you are around. I'm sorry if this makes you feel awkward and this makes me feel embarrassed just writing it, but I just want to say it in case…_

_Just in case. Stay safe._

_Love,_

_Hinata_

--

After Kimiko had sent that note, which Hinata never actually wanted sent—she had balled it up and tossed it away before hiding her insanely embarrassed face in her hands and blushed her heart out, only to go back to get it later and find out that it was missing and that Kimiko had sent it—Neji never answered.

Hinata fretted that it was because she had been far too forthcoming and that she had made him feel uncomfortable and awkward. She began to dread the next time that she would see him and be forced to face the problem that she had created in her own selfish desires.

Then, two years after she sent her note, over three years of fighting, word of Neji returned.

Hinata cried.

They set up a shrine next to his father's as Hinata lamented the loss of her second love.

And she kept the notes, in a box, under the floor boards in her room.

**See?**

**Bah, whatever. Tell me if you liked it.**

**Review please!**


	6. Entirety

**Back! I'm back!**

**Miss me?**

**Enjoy this drabble!**

_Entirety_

~-X-~

_However confused the scene of our life appears, however torn we may be who now do face that scene, and we can go on to be whole._

—_Muriel Rukeyser_

~-X-~

_I can't, Neji._ _I'm so, so sorry, but I _can't_…_

Her face was broken, tears rolling down her cheeks thickly. Her form wilted as she bent at the waist and buried her face in her hands, her hair sliding down to hang around her face as she attempted to muffle her sobs.

Neji flinched in spite of himself and reached over to grasp onto her arm and pull her closer to him. She straightened herself up and looked at him through painfully buoyant and feeble eyes. Neji just looked at her, using that hand that wasn't holding her arm to smooth down her hair comfortingly.

Her eyes fluttered shut at the sensation against her scalp and she leaned into his hand heavily.

_Hinata…_

He knew that it was imprudent and dissipated. He knew she was afraid and he was too, but he would by no means confess it vocally. Never in his nineteen years of breathing had he been this sure about anything and it vexed and confused him.

He wasn't confident if they would get caught. There was a strong chance that they would, and the consequences that would follow leaned more in favor of his bereavement or ignominy than anything else. That's why he had insisted that they don't do this anymore; that she find a nice, proper Main House man that would make her happy and give her legitimate children and a happy marriage.

Which had worked dismally to say the least. Neither of them could do it. They were too attached to each other. Neji told himself to ignore her, to leave her out here to cry by herself while he went back to the celebration and pretended as if his cousin was a part of the wall decorations.

But all he could see was her face, silhouetted against the lights filtering through the paper doors and the way that the ornaments in her hair swayed with her movement. The moon left trails down her cheeks, following the damp tracks that her tears had and were making. He looked down at her lips and felt himself bending down.

_Neji, someone will see._

Did he even care anymore? He couldn't tell. Her endeavor at protest hadn't been very adamant and she was already leaning against him in eagerness for the kiss to come—her eyes half-lidded, and her hands grasping his arms and chest.

_Let them look._

He didn't mean that. He didn't want them to be seen because if they were, then they would be forced apart.

They were kissing, then, frantically and as violently as they could within the restrictions of their formal attire. Hinata was making constant whimpering noises as her hands roamed restlessly all over his top half. Neji just clutched her to him and ravaged her mouth, trying to get his fill before they both left tomorrow for separate missions.

Hinata laboriously pulled her mouth from his and clutched his face between her dainty hands as she breathed in and out heavily.

_Please don't leave me!_

She was frantic as if she thought that he would disintegrate like a ghost and become the morning dew. Maybe he would.

_I won't._

A foolish statement. Of course he had to leave; they both had to. They had other obligations to things besides each other. They had obligations to their clan and to their village.

They were kissing again and Neji lost track of time until they were interrupted by softly spoken words.

_Nee-san, Chichiue is wondering where you are._

They broke apart guiltily and Hinata backed up quickly as if they were opposite polars of magnets. Hanabi stood at the corner of the building that they were hiding behind, keeping her eyes lowered in embarrassment and so that if she was asked if she saw anything, she could truthfully answer that she had not.

_I'll be in soon, Hanabi. Thank you._

Hanabi disappeared as soon as her sister had finished whispering the words. Hinata came up close to him again and gently kissed his lips. He closed his eyes and savored her taste before she was gone.

_I'm sorry._

Her eyes shone with tears of regret, again.

_As am I._

She bowed her head and hurried away. Neji stayed propped against the side of the building, waiting an appropriate amount of time before he snuck back in claiming some excuse about where he was or what he was doing while avoiding Hinata's glances.

They would both feel sullied. They would both feel predisposed.

But they _felt_ complete.

* * *

**Hm.**

**Well, I like it!**

**Review please!**


	7. Examination

**Bwah!**

**Back! Is there love for me yet?**

**Enjoy!**

_Examination_

~-X-~

_Do we really know anybody? Who does not wear a face to hide another?__  
—Frances Marion_

~-X-~

When Sakura watched them, she became jealous. It wasn't just her either. It was most of the females—and even some of the guys—in the rookie nine that felt somewhat bitter when they watched the two Hyuugas. They weren't even really sure _why_, just that they were.

Half of them didn't have that good of a relationship with their current significant other. Those two were _forced_ to get married, and they still were more in love than almost the whole village combined.

Sakura's jealousy actually began around the same time as Ino's because they were out to lunch together when they first caught sight of the couple.

They were giggling and gossiping over the latest scandal when Ino suddenly stopped, gasped, and poked Sakura sharply in the arm. Sakura blinked and rubbed her arm, a sharp retort on her tongue, when Ino gestured with her head. Sakura turned and saw a heavily pregnant Hinata and a nervously hovering Neji.

Hinata and Neji were out and about, the specifics as to what they were doing unknown to the two observers. Hinata had a few parcels that she was carrying and she was quietly chatting away to a silent Neji who was nodding when necessary and casting his silver eyes around the area cautiously.

Sakura took note of the close proximity of which he was walking to Hinata. When she stopped to point out an item he would spare it one simpering glance before returning to his vigilant watch. He would let her ooh and ahh over it for a few moments before gently grasping her elbow and whispering softly in her ear as he led her away. She would giggle gracefully and pat his bicep.

Then she saw the kittens.

She gasped, again, and waddled over as fast as she could, with and irritated looking Neji trailing her, calling her name. She gently knelt on the road, never minding her maternity dress, and leaned over the crate containing the little bundles of cat. She wiggled her fingers over the top and a few of them leapt up to bat at them playfully. Hinata's delighted laugh carried all the way across the street.

Neji walked over to stand behind her and look at the baby animals with a carefully neutral expression. He let Hinata talk to the person selling them for a while but drew the line when she went to pick one up. He opened his mouth and protested. She stopped and looked at him pleadingly. He made a face and rolled his eyes. Hinata smiled and picked up a fluffy gray one.

It rubbed its face all over Hinata and was, obviously, purring. Hinata pet it and scratched under his chin. She spoke to the owner again and he looked contemplative before answering her. Hinata looked up at Neji and smiled hopefully. He sighed and looked apprehensive. Hinata bat her eyelashes and tried to heave herself to her feet. Neji jerked down and grabbed onto her when she began to totter over backwards.

He helped her to her feet with a few scolding words and she cut him off by placing the kitten in his arms. The little thing, turning up the charm, did much the same thing as it did with Hinata but it was practically molesting Neji's face it was so desperate for love. He leaned away blinking rapidly and spitting the cat's hair from his mouth.

Hinata laughed and Ino and Sakura couldn't help but giggle. Neji closed his eyes and handed the cat back to his wife, much to the kitten's displeasure. Hinata pet it soothingly and it turned its attention back to her. Hinata pet it and spoke to Neji some more. He sighed heavily and looked away, nodding his head once. Hinata smiled and leaned over to place a quick peck on his cheek in thanks and then withdrew a purse from her sleeve, handing the appropriate amount to the owner.

He thanked them for their business and Hinata giggled some more as she tickled the kitten. Neji nodded to the owner before catching up to his waddling wife in three steps. He placed a leading hand on the small of her back and they began their trek back to their home.

When they were out of sight, Ino sighed longingly and then laughed. Sakura looked over at her.

"What?" She asked. Ino gestured with her hand towards the street.

"Didn't you just see that?" She retorted. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Obviously. It was very cute." Ino nodded and threw her arms akimbo.

"Exactly! She has him _so_ very, very whipped."

* * *

**I keep telling myself that it's short and sweet...**

**Bah, whatever.**

**Review, please!**


	8. Guardian

**Back, back, back!**

**Sorry that it's really, really late, I had an issue getting to a computer but it's all taken care of. SORRY!**

**Alright, so this one is a little bit of a takeoff of ****Anecdote**** because I'm a sap and I love the idea of them having children. **

**Anyhoo, enjoy!**

_Guardian_

~-X-~

_I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's __protection_

—_Sigmund Freud_

~-X-~

Hinata knew that something was very wrong.

She had awoken suddenly in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, with the oddest feeling. Beside her, Neji had stirred in his sleep at her sudden movement and woke up swiftly when he noticed her sitting up and breathing heavily. She jerked in surprise when he placed his large and warm hand on her back, leaning close to her and asking if she was alright.

She had nodded and reached up a shaky hand to push her hair out of her face. Neji leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, moving his hand from her back to her arm, surrounding her in a half embrace and rubbing comfortingly. Then he froze and looked up, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"You feel it, too?" Hinata whispered. Neji nodded and activated his Byakugan, holding her closer to him instinctually. She watched him and contemplated doing the same before Neji suddenly hissed a curse and threw back the covers, rushing towards the door before Hinata had a chance to do anything. She quickly followed his suit, making sure that her yukata was secure.

Then the bells began to gong.

Anyone in a clan knew that this was bad. You grew up knowing that the bells were bad news and that your parents always talked about them as if they were nervous, which, in turn, made you mature fearing their toll.

Hinata had gasped when she heard their first bong and rushed out of the door after her husband. He was already running full tilt towards, presumably, the source of the panic. She broke into a chakra-aided run and began to follow him before she heard a scream from behind her and stopped, turning towards the source.

She then brought her hands up in the seal and activated her Byakugan. What she saw had her gasping in horror again. They were being attacked. From all sides, and, judging by their activated chakra, they were ninja. She deactivated her Byakugan and looked down where Neji had gone. He was no longer visible so she assumed that he was defending his home.

Hinata ran towards their children's rooms, planning on collecting all of them and shutting them in a secret room for their safety. The elder boys would want to fight, she knew, but she didn't even want to imagine that—

An enemy ninja landed in front of her and drew a sword. Hinata backed up and exclaimed in surprise, bringing up her hands in the Gentle Fist form and ducking to avoid the slash. Using the force from her dodge, she slid under him and kicked out with her foot. He caught it in his shin and stumbled back.

Hinata bunched up her leg muscles and sprung up again, poking him sharply where she knew one of his chakra points were, releasing a gentle burst of her own chakra with an exhaled breath. The man grunted and Hinata twisted her upper body, getting ready to flash her leg up to kick him in the side, when he slumped over suddenly. She checked herself and stumbled from the momentum.

She smiled breathlessly at Hanabi who was looking down at the man with disgust.

"Hanabi." She whispered. Her sister looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. Hinata waved her closer and she complied. "Please go to where you're needed most. I can take care of myself for the time being." Hanabi leaned away and looked significantly displeased by this order from the Head of the Family.

"Onee-san…" She began but Hinata waved her hand sharply.

"I need you to defend your home." She said, pleadingly. Hanabi looked like she was still very unhappy about this but she nodded nonetheless and leapt onto the roof.

Hinata quickly turned her attention back on getting to her kids. Her bare feet made audible slapping noises to accent the steadily increasing sounds of violence from all sides of her. She skidded to a stop in front of her first child's, door after what seemed like hours of running, and ripped it open, his name on her lips. She froze in panic when she realized that he wasn't in his bed.

"Kyo?" She whispered harshly into the dark. There was no answer. She felt her heart rate pick up and she fought down horror. She rushed on to the next door and pulled that open, too. Empty.

The next one.

Empty.

And the next one.

Empty

Empty

Empty

She was panicking in full now, by the time she reached Ayama's door. Her breath was coming in gasps and she was shaking uncontrollably. _Not my children_, she thought, _not them,_ _please,_ _anything but them_. She yanked her daughter's door open and ran in, whirling in a circle in an attempt to take in all of the surroundings quickly.

Empty.

_No!_ She shrieked mentally.

She felt her throat cut off as she crumpled to the floor with a thud. Where were they? _Where were they_!

"Amaya…" she hissed through her constricted throat, pain lacing her words. There was a shifting noise and Hinata jumped to her feet, reading her stance.

"Okaasan?" A whimpering voice called from the darkness. Hinata straightened and rushed towards it immediately.

"Amaya?" She called shakily, trying to be as quiet as possible. There was a shifting off wood and a panel of the wall broke away, showing all of her kids hiding in the alcove. She made a relieved noise that was half sighing and half 'Oh!'

Amaya sat in the arms of Sachio and Kenji, and had obviously been crying. The closest to the entrance was Kyo who had his kunai drawn and was kneeling in a protective stance in front of Jin, her second eldest and the second closest to the opening. Squished together behind Jin, was Shinnosuke, her third eldest. Rai was next with Sachio, Kenji and Amaya in the back.

"Okaasan." Kyo said, surprised and relieved. He stood up to greet her and show respect, putting his kunai away. Hinata blinked back tears and crushed him to her in an embrace. It was odd because he was sixteen now, and taller than her by a little bit. He stiffened and paused for a moment before he returned the embrace.

"I was so worried." She whispered in a strangled voice, so that only he could hear. When she leaned back she wiped her eyes so that the younger ones wouldn't see her crying and panic. Shinnosuke and Jin had also emerged and were framing their big brother, forming an unintentionally imposing wall of solid Hyuuga. Hinata had never felt so proud. "I'm very glad that you stayed with your sister and brothers." She informed the oldest, leaning around Jin to smile at Rai who looked very unhappy. Shinnosuke shrugged.

"We were waiting for you or Aunt Hanabi to show up. I'm gonna go help Chichiue, now." He informed her, making a move to leave. Hinata's hand flicked out and she grabbed onto his bicep tightly.

"No, you're not." She hissed, fear for their lives making her sharp. He blinked in surprise and let his mother push him back towards his siblings. "You're staying here and staying hidden." She said, ushering all of the boys back into the alcove. Kyo scowled and stepped forward.

"I need to fight." He growled. Hinata flashed her angry-mother eyes at him and he wilted slightly. "I can fight." He pleaded. Hinata placed a gentle hand on his face.

"I know you can." She told him with a smile. "Protect each other." She said to all of them and turned to go help Neji, confident that Kyo could put them all back into the place. She went to walk through the door and ran face first into a smelly and grubby chest.

She looked up at the offender, fearing the worst. It wasn't a Hyuuga. Behind her she heard her children gasp and swear and she immediately channeled chakra to her hands, slamming them into the chest she connected with and sending him stumbling backwards.

She got down into her stance and took a calming breath before her Byakugan activated and she went for his chakra points with precision that she honed through the years. She got two hits in before one of his friends had joined the fray and, together, they drove her back into the room that she had been trying to keep them out of.

She grit her teeth and felt sweat drip down her face. She crouched down to avoid a head attack and didn't anticipate the kick that the other man sent to her face. She flew backwards and hit the wall with a grunt.

"Bastards…" She heard Shinnosuke hiss and she knew that he was going to charge them. If he didn't then one of the others would. They might even charge them all at the same time.

"Stay back." She barked at them. She watched as they all turned to give her looks and she knew that her assumption was correct. She stood back up on her feet and ran at them, jumping in the air and sweeping her leg around in an attempt to hit them both at the same time. She got one of them but the other one moved out of the way.

She touched back down to the ground, her feet making a resounding slap, and she whirled again, this time using her legs to kick the one she missed down. He blocked it and she quickly brought her hands up and cut off the chakra to his left arm.

He hissed in anger, clearly knowing what she did, and launched a flurry of attacks at her. His comrade was shaking off her kick and joined in. She defended and fought, but she knew it was futile. She glanced behind her at a noise and saw that Sachio was watching now. She didn't want them to watch.

She turned her attention back to the fight, but that one second of diversion had the man once again connecting a blow, and this time to her chest. Hinata let out a strangled screech of pain as she felt her, never quite healed, heart thunk against her rib cage and all the air escape from her lungs before she was thrown back into her children.

Jin caught her. She kept her eyes open long enough to know that before she closed them in pain. She heard one of the men laugh.

"Looks like our information was accurate." He said in a horrible, nasally voice. "The Head of the Hyuuga Clan _does_ have a weak heart." She opened her eyes in time to see the ones old enough to understand what he was talking about stiffen and look at her.

She winced and regretted not telling them because of the hurt looks that they were giving her. She had her reasons. She didn't want them to know that their _father_ had done that to her. It was too late now, anyway.

She inhaled and struggled to a crouching position, pushing Jin behind her protectively, and grabbing onto Kyo's wrist to haul herself up and then push him and Shinnosuke behind her as well. She had to keep her hands on them to restrain them because they kept trying to get into the fight. She glared at the intruders furiously. The man laughed.

And then there was a noise.

Such an odd noise that Hinata blinked in shock and almost loosened her grip on her children.

It was the sound of laughter. And not just any laughter; _Neji's_ laughter.

"Neji…" She whispered under her breath, half in confusion and half in liberation. Her voice carried over the suddenly deathly quiet room and her kids had different reactions. Amaya, Sachio and Kenji all made happy noises and the older ones all knew that his laughter wasn't a good sign.

The men turned and, in doing so, opened up the view of the door way where Neji stood. Hinata took in the sight of him and felt her knees shake she was so overwhelmed.

He looked like a demon out of hell or someones darkest nightmare. He had blood staining his white yukata that he wore to bed, though whether it was his or someone else's she didn't know. His hair, which he didn't bother to tie up before he left the bedroom, was long and blowing in the wind, giving him that illusion of ungodliness. The curse mark on his forehead seemed to glow and the distortion to his eyes that the Byakugan brought added to the effect.

The men took a step back, overwhelmed by his aura. Neji's eyes found hers and he gave a tiny jerk of his head that may have been a nod. Then he was moving.

It was like witchcraft. He moved and slithered around, delivering blows and audibly cracking bones faster than she knew her children's eyes could follow. The only noise was the sounds of Neji's blows connecting, the patter of his feet as they barely touched the floor, the grunts and hollers of pain coming from the men, and the sounds of her, steadily labored, breathing.

She felt faint and she slumped to the ground, her legs unable to hold her up as the pain in her chest increased. Kyo and Shinnosuke both made a surprised noise and three pairs of hands grabbed for her simultaneously.

She knew that they did this automatically and that they couldn't take their eyes off of their father. She didn't blame them, for even she hadn't been audience to Neji's fury. He was far too controlled to lose it like this and let his emotions get the best of him.

He had already dropped one of the men, but seemed to be taking time with the one that spoke to her. He was deliberately pulling the quick punches and going for the painful ones. He slammed his foot into the man's stomach and he flew into the wall. Neji straightened himself up and walked over towards the gasping man slowly, the power of his chakra seeming to make his hair flow on its own.

Neji grasped the man's unruly hair and yanked him to his feet so quickly that he actually seemed to float in the air before Neji replaced his hand on the man's throat and smashed him against the wall.

"Please," The man whimpered, his hands clawing at Neji's immovable one. "Have mercy…" He begged. Neji's eyes flashed and he tightened his grip.

"You intrude upon my home," He began, his voice even more frightening than his appearance. "You _kill_ my clan members, you _assail_ my wife, and you _terrorize_ my children, yet you ask for mercy?" Neji practically growled at the man and tightened his grip farther. "You do not deserve to even say the word." He spat. Hinata knew what was coming and she didn't want them to see it.

"Close your eyes." She murmured to all of the kids in a strangled voice. She didn't know if they did, but she hoped that Rai at least covered the little one's eyes. Neji broke the man's neck with a dexterous twist of his hand. The man's body hit the floor with a thud.

Neji moved his foot out of the way; the very motion reeking of disgust. Hinata started to move cautiously, careful not to startle him in this state, pushing herself off of her sons and sitting on her knees before her heart suddenly seemed to squeeze itself and she made a strangled noise and blood oozed from between her lips.

Neji was in front of her in an instant.

Behind her she heard the boys back up and inhale sharply. Hinata looked up into his eyes and saw that he seemed to have his control, but it was hanging on only because of his worry for her.

"Hinata…" He mumbled, his hand hovering over her head as if he was nervous to touch her. She closed her eyes and sighed, falling onto his chest. She nearly cried when she noticed that his comforting smell was replaced by the overwhelming one of blood.

"Hinata." He said again, firmly this time, and pushed her up so that he could look at her face. "What hurts?" He asked, trying to look her over. She didn't want to tell him. He was already guilty enough about it. When she was quiet his eyes flashed to her face and he scowled. "Hinata…" He began warningly.

"My heart." She whispered. She watched him freeze, his face becoming slack as his eyes filled with shame. He licked his lips.

"What happened? It was better…" he whispered almost sounding horrified. Hinata bowed her head.

"When he hit me the last time…It just…I just…It hurt and I…I'm sorry." She whimpered, feeling tears starting to form. Neji closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose.

"Can you stand?" He asked, without opening his eyes. Hinata nodded, and then realized that he couldn't see it.

"Yes." She answered. He opened his eyes and placed his hands on her arms, gently pulling her to her feet. Her knees shook but she could stay on them. He tenderly slid his hands from her arms to her back and pulled her to him in a hug.

"I am sorry." He murmured. Hinata shook her head where it rested on his collarbone.

"You saved us." She answered, using her normal level voice. If he hadn't gotten there sooner… Hinata gasped. "The clan! What happened?" She asked, leaning back. He let her lean back but refused to make eye contact with her.

"They're fine. A few are dead, others wounded, but we drove them off." He responded mechanically.

"Okaasan?"

Hinata twisted her head and saw Sachio and Kenji leaning around Rai's legs. It broke her heart to see that they were regarding Neji with fear and that they were crying. She patted his arm and he released her. She stumbled over to them and knelt on the floor. They rushed into her arms and she hugged them as tightly as she could.

"I love you." She whispered to them. They began to wail loudly and Amaya came out, already bawling, too, and forced her way into the embrace. Hinata hugged them and fought down her own tears as she made shushing noises and ran her fingers through their hair comfortingly. She turned and looked at Neji who was staring off into space with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Chichiue…?" Amaya whimpered. Neji turned and looked at her. She sniffled and her mouth quirked down. She wriggled off of her mother's lap and ran at him, hugging his leg tightly. Neji stiffened and he hesitated a moment before he bent down and lifted her up. She cried louder and she hugged his neck tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.

Hinata felt an overwhelming relief that her daughter didn't fear him. Sachio and Kenji watched nervously and, after a moment, also ran over to their father and hugged him. Hinata smiled and felt light headed with respite. Then her vision began to blur.

Then everything went black.

~-X-~

When she awoke, she was back in her own bed and an incessantly annoying light was filtering through the window, prodding her eyes painfully. She flinched and brought a heavy hand up to block out the brightness.

"Okaasan's awake!"

She blinked and moved her hand, rolling her head over towards the direction of the voice. She nearly yelped in surprise when she found herself nose-to-nose with Kenji. She moved her head back so that she didn't have to look at him cross-eyed and smiled at him.

"Good morning, Okaasan!" He chirped loudly and hugged her head. She started to laugh but it got cut off when she started to cough. He quickly let go and sat back away from her as she pushed herself up onto her arm, coughing into her hand.

She winced at the rawness of her throat and swallowed laboriously. A cup of water appeared in front of her face and she took it with a strained thanks. Jin nodded, his mouth set in a straight line. Hinata gulped down the water and she felt the cool relief begin its work.

"Kenji," Jin said, catching his brother's attention. Kenji torked the top half of his body around to look at him. "Go tell everyone that Okaasan's awake."

"Yes, Onii-san!" He responded brightly. Jin moved aside while his younger sibling rushed out the door. He watched him go with an indiscernible expression.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Hinata said quietly. Jin turned and looked at her. "A child's ability to wash away the bad things with their tears." She elaborated. Jin shook his head and glanced at the door his brother just exited.

"More unnerving than amazing." He retorted. Hinata giggled a little and nursed her second cup of water. They sat in silence. Then he shifted uncomfortably. "Chichiue…" He began and then drifted off. Hinata looked at him.

"Continue." She prompted. He ran a tired hand through his hair and sighed as Kyo and Shinnosuke entered. He hesitated when he saw them but Hinata gestured for him to continue.

"He's…strong." Kyo and Shinnosuke seemed to know who they were talking about.

"Damn scary." Shinnosuke added. Hinata shot a stern look at him.

"Watch your language." She scolded. He made a sheepish face. Kyo looked at his feet thoughtfully.

"What's the mark on his forehead?" He asked, looking at her. Hinata flinched.

She hadn't told them about the curse mark that she had abolished before any of them were born. She had made sure that that wretched seal would never mar the heads of her family, starting with Hanabi. The elders nearly all died of their anger, but, for the most part, she was supported in her decision. There was nothing that she could do for those who had already been marked, though. There was nothing to cancel it out and it would be with them until they passed on.

"Something that I am deeply ashamed of and something that you will never have to worry about." She answered vaguely. "And, regarding your father being strong or scary…" She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "He does it to protect us." She waited for it to sink in. "And he loves you. All of you. He just doesn't know how to show it."

Kyo smiled to himself and Shinnosuke grinned widely and sat down on her bed. Jin looked off to the side and leaned against the wall. They all eventually migrated over to her bed and sat down while she laughed at their stories and idle chatter.

They were interrupted by steady thudding of feet. Hinata looked towards the door and watched as Rai whirled into it and stood there looking at her. She smiled. He looked pained but ran forward and hugged her tightly. Hinata returned it with just as much, if not more, force.

"Careful."

Hinata looked over her son's shoulder and saw Neji standing in the doorway with Amaya asleep in his arms. Sachio and Kenji ran in past his feet and jumped on her bed, too. Rai released her and sat down next to her also. Neji softly woke Amaya up and pointed out that "Okaasan was awake." She had squealed and almost thrown herself out of his arms. Neji placed her down and she waddled over to her quickly. Hinata bent down and lifted her up onto the bed, hugging her, too. Neji stayed in the doorway.

"Neji." Hinata said, getting his attention. His eyes flicked to her face. "I'm fine." She said with a kind smile. She noticed the change that her words had on him. His posture straightened as if someone had lifted a great load off of his back and his eyes flashed with a familiar intensity. Hinata gasped.

She smiled in anticipation and had the presence of mind to move Amaya off of her lap and into Rai's arms.

Neji quickly crossed the room in three long strides and then had her in his arms with his mouth firmly on hers. He kissed her hard, sending all of the inward emotions that he was storing into her through their connection. He held her tightly, moving one of his hands to her hair where he fisted it roughly and lugged her up to him.

Hinata made a contented noise and used her upper body strength to pull herself as close to him as she could. His tongue tapped her lips and she willingly opened them as he plunged it in. She was on fire. Oh, she really was _this_ close to—

"Is Chichiue trying to eat Okaasan?" Amaya's curious voice chirped. Hinata's eyes flew open and she quickly withdrew herself from her husband's arms the same time he dropped her and cleared his throat, moving away. Hinata felt herself blushing and made herself busy straightening her hair.

Rai and Kyo's faces were red and they were pointedly avoiding looking at anyone. Shinnosuke seemed to find Amaya's comment hilarious and was laughing his face off. Jin was in the act of escaping the room while the younger ones were sharing looks of curiosity.

Neji cleared his throat again. "I think that you guys should leave." He said pointedly at the children. They all looked at him, almost confused for a second before Kyo and Rai darted for the door and Jin finished crossing the threshold. Shinnosuke, still laughing, grabbed Amaya and gestured for Kenji and Sachio to follow.

The door slid closed with a tap. Neji turned on her.

"Now," He began, undressing himself. "Where were we?"

* * *

**-Giggle-**

**This is actually my fav chapter that I've written. Not really sure why, but it is.**

**Review please! (Just because I'm a review whore.)**


	9. Interactions

_Interactions_

~-X-~

_Love is dialectic, man, back and forth, hate and sweet._

—_Norman Mailer_

~-X-~

Hinata loved the way Neji spoke to her.

Normally, if you didn't know either of them very well, you wouldn't be able to hear any differences in the way they spoke to each other. Pertaining to the ones who did know them well enough, they found it somewhat frightening to hear Neji talk like that.

But Hinata loved it.

He had varying degrees as to which he would talk to her. There was the; "God, you are still an idiot." voice, the; "I can't believe we're related." voice, the; "I can't decide if that's funny or sad…" voice, and, her favorite, the; "I love you." voice.

They were all sort of hard to tell apart, but, when he was using the "I love you." voice, she could hear it. She could hear the way he let the words roll of his tongue as if he was trying to let them linger there and leave a sweet taste.

And the way he would look at her when he said it was like when a small child finds something they have never seen before and think it's the most precious thing in the world. He would always find some way to touch her when he said it, too. Whether it was a gentle brush of their hands, of if he would kiss her while saying it, it didn't matter because he got the point across no matter the situation.

He was intense like that.

She loved the way his rich baritone would become even deeper and husky, breathless with desire when he was kissing her. However, ever the epitome of control, he would never let anything get him out of his mind. He was always the first one to recover himself and pull her back down to reality.

She also loved the way he touched her.

During their sparring, he wouldn't hold back, and she thanked him for that, because he knew that she wouldn't get better unless she was pushed to it, and he did just that. However, when they weren't sparring, he barely touched her. So when he did, it always made it extra special.

Most of the time, he touched her with gentle fingers, worried that she would disappear under his them like a reflection on the water or a breaking mirror. He was very, very careful. Until she, or some other force, pushed him too it. Then he was demanding and strong. She loved that, especially.

She loved the way he looked at her.

Whether it was just a quick glance to make sure that she was okay, or if he watched her 'sleep', he would always seem semi contented, and semi disbelieving. When she asked him why, he had confided in her that he felt as if he didn't deserve her and that, sometimes, he thought that he would wake up one morning and realize that it was all a dream.

Hinata didn't tell him that she though the same exact thing, because she was scared that if she said it then it would come true.

So all she did was close her eyes and take in as much of him as she could and waited until their next contact.

* * *

**Yay?**

**Review please!**


	10. Lament

_Lament_

~-X-~

_If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world._

—_Mercedes Lackey_

~-X-~

Hinata gripped her hands tighter and fought a wince as her fingernails inadvertently dug into her palms.

"I am aware that I am asking you to break not only our tradition, but that I am taking a risk." Hinata responded in as tough as a voice as she could manage. "However, it is a cruel and unusual requirement to have this _forced_ upon people who have such promise. No one deserves to not have freedom; to not be able to _live_."

The elders were all rather angry looking and she could tell by the looks on their faces that they were not going to vote in favor for her suggestion. The younger party, however, looked like they were agreeing with her and Hinata was relieved that her argument had been a persuasive one.

She chanced a glance towards her father and saw that he was nodding his approval. Hinata felt her confidence take a boost from that small nod and pulled herself to full height. She had to end this now; that she knew. She had to end this so that any children that she would have would not be subjugated to this monstrosity. So that her fiancé and love could have the freedom he deserved.

She took a deep breath.

"Now, we take a vote." She said, in a stern voice. "All in favor of abolishing the Curse Mark…"

~-X-~

Hinata quietly slid the door to her room shut behind her and walked over to her bed, sitting down on it and falling sideways. As soon as her head hit the pillow she felt herself beginning to cry. And cry. And _cry_.

She didn't know why. She had succeeded, and they were no longer going to use the Curse Mark on anyone. Yet she felt as if she had failed. She felt as if she had failed because they could do nothing for those who already had the curse mark marring their proud foreheads. It would stay with them until they died.

The mere thought of this caused the tears to flow faster and Hinata turned her face into her pillow.

_No…_

"Hinata-sama."

She jumped and let out a surprised shriek at the voice of her cousin. She carefully kept her face away from him, even though she knew that he had to have seen and/or heard her crying before he made his presence known. She viciously scrubbed at her face and tried to make her voice level.

"Yes, Neji?" She answered, squeaking despite her attempts. She felt him move forward hesitantly and, in the mirror to the side, she saw the uncertainty flicker across his face. He stopped his approach and tucked his hands behind his back, straightening.

"Something has distressed you?" His voice rolled over her ears, sweet and sour, as it both comforted and made her feel even guiltier than she already was. She felt her bottom lip quiver as more tears slowly leaked their way from the corner of her eyes and tumbled down her face.

"Of course not." She mumbled, hoping that softer tones would mask her nasally tone. She watched him blink in disbelief. A tear rolled to the corner of her mouth and she tasted salt.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji sounded uncertain yet demanding and she knew that he wanted her to look at him. She didn't want to look at him. "Hinata-sama, don't lie to me. I can tell by the way that you are conducting yourself that you are crying and trying to be stealthy about it, though obviously failing."

Hinata trembled with the force of holding in her sobs. She chomped down on her lips and clamped her eyes shut. She swallowed down a shudder and raised her voice slightly.

"Well, yes, I'm crying but—but you must leave now." She ordered; her tears now evident in her wavering voice and thick tone. It was quiet in the room aside from her gasping and sniffles. Then there was a breeze that ruffled her hair. She looked up at the sudden shadow across her vision and the warm, soothing hand rubbing circles on her back.

Neji watched her as she looked at him with helpless eyes and then made a sort of shrugging gesture. Hinata felt her face crumble and her tears began to billow out at full force. She bent over at the waist and buried her face in her hands that rested on her thighs. Her long hair slowly slipped off of her shoulders in clumps until it all framed her face, hiding it from the world. She made sure to muffle her screams of frustration and sorrow so that no one besides her balanced shield knew her pain.

He simply kept rubbing those slow, calming circles on her back and occasionally smoothed a hand through her hair. He didn't talk, most likely because he had no idea what to do or what was causing her to act as such.

She couldn't tell how long she cried—it always felt far longer than it really was—but she cried until her face was raw and tingly and her throat felt thick. She swallowed and let out a few more gasps and shudders before she inhaled deeply and sat up shyly.

Avoiding the probing stare of her fiancé, she dried her eyes and rubbed at her cheeks in an attempt to get the feeling back into them. His hand was still cautiously moving in circles. She sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry." She croaked, and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry that you had to see that." His hand stilled. She glanced at his face. He had a stern expression on his face.

"You should not be ashamed." He told her. Hinata sniffled. His expression lightened and his hand began its steady movements again. "What was that all about?" He asked carefully. Hinata felt a scowl tug at her eyebrows.

"I was frustrated. I'm sorry." She answered, apologizing again for her childish behavior. Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"You must have been very frustrated to warrant such a paroxysm." He said, probing for more information. Hinata wiggled back and forth on her knees.

"I was…_am_…disappointed." She began, looking carefully at the tearstains on her pants. It was quiet.

"What for?" Neji prompted, an edge of impatience touching his mostly curious tone. Hinata sighed and placed her face in one of her hands again.

"I feel as if I have failed you." She confessed. He stiffened and the comforting hand retracted as if he had been burned.

"Pardon me?" Hinata winced and waited for the whimper that never came. Her body was too exhausted. She drew her face from her hand and turned to him, reaching behind his head to untie his hitai-ate and slowly draw it away from his face. She folded it and laid it in her lap before turning her attention back on his forehead.

The Curse Mark glared back at her.

She lightly brought her fingers up to trace its outline with her fingers.

"I wanted to be the one to help you for once." She whispered, pulling herself closer and using her other hand to trace the other side of the seal. "_I_ wanted to save _you_. I wanted to release you of this terrible thing…" She felt sad, but she had no tears left.

She fluttered her fingers down from the Curse Mark to cup his face. He was watching her, no expression on his face or in his eyes. She swallowed heavily and blinked quickly.

"I wanted to set you free."

His hands immediately snapped up and grabbed her wrists, yanking them down and pulling her close.

"Hinata-sama—Hinata," He corrected, looking at her intensely. "Do you even realize what you have done?" She shook her head carefully, not exactly sure what he was talking about. He looked very irritated. "You have begun to right the wrongs; something that no other Hyuuga has even _dared_ to attempt." He explained sharply. "You may not have been able to help those who already bare this burden, but you have saved their children, and their children's children, and on and on for as long as whatever higher being there may be sees fit."

His hands moved from her wrists to clasping her small hands in his large and calloused ones.

"Hinata, you have saved so many promising futures. I can live with this,"—He briefly let go of her hand to make a sharp gesture at his forehead—"I already have been and it's not as if anyone will activate it anymore. They will fear the repercussions." He tucked some hair behind her ear. "Hinata, I am very proud of you and you do not need to be frustrated or disappointed or sorrowful."

He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Hinata kept on blinking like an idiot, unable to come up with anything to say in response to that.

"But," She finally managed to work out, "What about those who had their hopes raised falsely? Or those with such damage due to the Curse Mark that they are unfixable?" Neji cracked his eyes opened and fixed her with a look that had her shivering.

"You weep for those whom tears have already been shed. Their mourning is over and we must move on." He said simply and tenderly kissed her lips, bringing up his hand to cup behind her head when she tried to move back. Hinata relented and leaned into the kiss.

When they were done, he pulled her into his embrace and she leaned her head against his collar bone, drifting off into sleep.

_We must move on._


End file.
